A Full Measure of Our Love
by Hopeful Romantic
Summary: Richard and his family share a moment. A ficlit written as a challenge for LegendLand on LJ. The prompt being, "scars."
1. Challenge Version

**Disclaimer:** Legend of the Seeker belongs to Terry Goodkind and all the grand high mucky mucks of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended, and no money was made from this. Any similarity to any story not my own is a coincidence. And all of this amounts to: just playing around here, please don't sue. *wry grin*

**Title:** A Full Measure of Our Love  
**Genre:** Legend of the Seeker; fluff; Richard & Kahlan family  
**Rating:** G  
**Timeline:** After the end of the series; so spoilers for _Tears_  
**Author's Notes:** Written for a challenge at **legendland** This is the challenge version. The prompt was _scars_

* * *

**_A Full Measure of Our Love_**

"There you are my little nightwisp," Richard said, bending down to tickle the child sitting on the lowest step of the stairs. She giggled, then squealed happily as he swooped her up and hugged her.

"Daddy!"

Richard grinned and placed the squirming child back down. She immediately went back to her study of the small, shallow marks that had been etched into the wall. She ran curious little fingers over each one as Richard settled himself behind her.

"Daddy, I think you should measure me again," Allegra said.

"We just measured you last month," her father replied, tracing his own finger lovingly over the most recent mark. "On your naming-day."

"But I've grown Daddy," the child countered.

"Oh, you have, have you?" Richard asked, amusement making his voice a soft sort of rumble.

Allegra nodded quite seriously and rose to place her back to the wall.

"See, Daddy."

Richard smiled and lay his hand flat atop her dark curls. He made a show of eying the last measurement and where his hand was held in relation to it. Without looking down, he tapped his other hand against the side of his daughter's left foot. Slowly, she settled her feet flat to the stair.

"Well..." Richard drawled. "I think you may be right little nightwisp."

Allegra grinned happily.

"I told you, Daddy," she replied proudly before whirling around, her riotous curls brushing against her father's face as she did so. She ducked down and retrieved a small dark charcoal from the stair. When she turned again, she held it out to her father before pressing herself tightly to the wall and squeezing her eyes shut.

Richard laughed a little, and marked a small line no more than an inch above the highest one. Then he waited for his daughter to stand aside before carefully using his knife to etch through the lime plaster and down to the white stone beneath. Next, he made the small swirling circle-sun shape that was the symbol of her name and marked a small seven next to that. Finally, he smoothed off the rougher edges and blew the loose, white dust away.

Allegra clapped her small hands and waited for her father to sheath his knife before settling herself in front of him on the stair. She ran a careful finger over the newest scar in the otherwise smooth wall as Richard dropped a small kiss to the top of his daughter's head.

"Mommy says that love grows and grows and grows," Allegra said finally. "She says that's why you measure me."

The child dropped her hand and tilted her head up to look at her father.

"Is that true, Daddy?"

Richard smiled. "Yes my little nightwisp."

"And Mommy says that loves leaves marks on us all... on everyone and everything."

Allegra waited for her father's nod and then suddenly reached to guide his hand up to the wall. With all the serious concentration that only a seven year old could have, she traced his hand with her charcoal. Next to that, she traced her own small hand.

"I love you too, Daddy..."


	2. Longer Version

**Disclaimer:** Legend of the Seeker belongs to Terry Goodkind and all the grand high mucky mucks of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended, and no money was made from this. Any similarity to any story not my own is a coincidence. And all of this amounts to: just playing around here, please don't sue. *wry grin*

**Title:** A Full Measure of Our Love  
**Genre:** Legend of the Seeker; fluff; Richard & Kahlan family  
**Rating:** G  
**Timeline:** After the end of the series; so spoilers for _Tears_  
**Author's Notes:** Written for a challenge at **legendland** This is the longer version. The prompt was _scars_

* * *

**_A Full Measure of Our Love_**

"There you are my little nightwisp," Richard said, bending down at the knees to tickle the child sitting on the lowest step of the stairs. She giggled, than squealed happily as he swooped her up and hugged her.

"Daddy!"

Richard grinned and placed the squirming child back down. She immediately went back to her study of the small, shallow marks that had been etched into the wall. She ran curious little fingers over each one as Richard settled himself behind her.

"Daddy, I think you should measure me again," Allegra said.

"We just measured you last month," her father replied, tracing his own finger lovingly over the most recent mark. "On your naming-day."

"But I've grown Daddy," the child countered.

"Oh, you have, have you?" Richard asked, amusement making his voice a soft sort of rumble.

Allegra nodded quite seriously and rose to place her back to the wall.

"See, Daddy."

Richard smiled and lay his hand flat atop her dark curls. He made a show of eying the last measurement and where his hand was held in relation to it. Without looking down, he tapped his other hand against the side of his daughter's left foot. Slowly, she settled her feet flat to the stair.

"Well..." Richard drawled. "I think you may be right little nightwisp."

Allegra grinned happily.

"I told you, Daddy," she replied proudly before whirling around, her riotous curls brushing against her father's face as she did so. She ducked down and retrieved a small dark charcoal from the stair. When she turned again, she held it out to her father before pressing herself tightly to the wall and squeezing her eyes shut.

Richard laughed a little, and marked a small line no more than an inch above the highest one. Then he waited for his daughter to stand aside before carefully using his knife to etch through the lime plaster and down to the white stone beneath. Next, he made the small swirling circle-sun shape that was the symbol of her name and marked a small five next to that. Finally, he smoothed off the rougher edges and blew the loose, white dust away.

Allegra clapped her small hands and waited for her father to sheath his knife before settling herself in front of him on the stair. She ran a careful finger over the newest scar in the otherwise smooth wall as Richard dropped a small kiss to the top of his daughter's head.

"Mommy says that love grows and grows and grows," Allegra said finally. "She says that's why you measure me."

The child dropped her hand and tilted her head up to look at her father.

"Is that true, Daddy?"

Richard smiled. "Yes my little nightwisp."

"And Mommy says that loves leaves marks on us all... on everyone and everything."

Allegra waited for her father's nod and then suddenly reached to guide his hand up to the wall. With all the serious concentration that only a five year old could have, she traced his hand with her charcoal. Next to that, she traced her own small hand.

"I love you too, Daddy..."

"You two should pray to the good spirits that Master Mason Teutier never sees you both ruining his fine walls," Kahlan said with teasing amusment as she suddenly rounded the curve of the stairwell and made her way carefully down the steps, her progress slow with the heaviness of her pregnancy.

"We're not _ruining_... we're giving his wall character," Richard countered with a bright smile. "After all, it's the freckles and scars that give a place..." he said, before pausing to drop a small kiss to his daughter's head. "And a person, true character..." Richard concluded.

He turned his head as Kahlan reached them and kissed his unborn child, making his wife smile as she ran a quick hand through his hair in a tender caress.

"Besides Mommy, it's just love leaving its mark," Allegra added very seriously.

Kahlan smiled a little brighter.

"I see," she replied as Richard grinned and carefully helped his wife to sit on the step just above her daughter's.

Allegra reached for her mother's hand and Kahlan let her carefully guide it to the wall. The child traced her mother's hand as close to her father's and her own as she could. Then, using her own as a guide, Allegra drew another smaller hand on the wall within the outline of Kahlan's.

"For baby Maya," she explained.

Kahlan smiled at her eldest daughter as she surveyed her work gravely. The child nodded to herself in satisfaction before turning to address her unborn sister.

"And when you come out, Daddy can put your marks right next to mine," she whispered, affectionately stroking her mother's gravid belly before looking up to her father. "Right, Daddy?"

Richard smiled and nodded.

"Cause love just grows and grows and grows..." Allegra said softly, smoothing her fingers over the cool wall.

"To its fullest measure," Richard whispered, watching his small family with joy.

"To its fullest measure," Kahlan agreed, reaching up to hold her husband's warm hand in her own. "Everyday..."


End file.
